MLB Player News

Murphy went 2-for-4 with a walk, a double, a home run and three RBI in Friday's win over the Royals.

After a two-run double in the second inning, Murphy crushed his second homer of the season off Brady Singer in the fifth inning. The catcher may have been pressing a bit to begin his Atlanta tenure, but he's looking very comfortable at the plate right now, going 6-for-16 (.375) over the last four games with four doubles, two homers and seven RBI.

Contreras is not in the starting lineup Saturday versus the Pirates.

It's a routine day of rest for Contreras, who finally broke out of an extended slump Friday. Andrew Knizner will catch and bat ninth.

Trevino is not in the lineup Saturday versus the Twins.

Trevino returned from his toe injury Friday and went 0-for-3. He'll take a seat Saturday, with Kyle Higashioka handling the catching duties for Domingo German.

Gomes went 3-for-4 with two home runs, two RBI, three runs scored and one stolen base in Friday's victory over the Dodgers.

Gomes is now slugging .533 on the season after this powerful performance. While the 35-year-old veteran has never been an exceptional home run hitter (his career high is 21), he could help the Cubs' offense be more dynamic if he stays hot. The catcher will need to prove that this wasn't a mirage, however, as he hasn't hit double-digit homers in a season since 2021, when he hit 14 between the Nationals and the Athletics.

Langeliers went 3-for-5 with one double, one home run, two RBI and two runs scored in Friday's 17-6 loss against the Mets.

Langeliers was a triple away from hitting the cycle, as the A's got blown out through no fault of his own. The catcher now has three home runs through 12 games on the season, half of his total from 40 contests last year. The 25-year-old is slashing .250/.298/.477 and will look to establish himself as Oakland's long-term answer behind the dish.

Maldonado went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a double Friday against the Rangers.

Maldonado took Martin Perez deep in the fifth inning to record his first homer and extra-base hit of the season. Though he also chipped in a double two frames later, the performance did little to make up for Maldonado's dismal performance at the plate to start the new campaign. He now has a .219/.306/.344 line across 37 plate appearances, though he remains Houston's primary catcher due to his defensive work behind the plate.

Bethancourt went 2-for-4 with a solo home run Friday against the Blue Jays.

Bethancourt went deep for back-to-back homers with Josh Lowe in the seventh inning. It was Bethancourt's second homer of the season, and he now has an extra-base hit in four of his last five starts. He continues to split time evenly with Francisco Mejia behind the plate, but if Bethancourt continues to hit well he could start to earn additional plate appearances.

Rutschman went 1-for-2 with a three-run double and three walks in Friday's 6-3 win over the White Sox.

Rutschman put the Orioles ahead with his big double in the seventh inning. The catcher has been a key contributor over the last two games with four RBI between the two games. He's off to a fantastic start in 2023 with a .377/.492/.642 slash line, four home runs, 12 RBI, nine runs scored and two doubles over 14 contests. After he posted 13 homers and 35 doubles a year ago, it's a positive sign of growth to see him displaying more over-the-fence power.

Smith is sitting Friday against the Cubs due to an illness, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

He was supposed to be in the lineup but came in feeling sick Friday. Austin Barnes is starting at catcher in his place, and Smith should be considered day-to-day.

Smith isn't starting Friday against the Cubs, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Smith has caught fire to start the season, slashing .333/.417/.641 through his first 11 games. He will enjoy an off day Friday as Austin Barnes takes over behind the dish and bats ninth.